Contents

Development

Spike's appearance is based on his Generation 1 incarnation more than his Generation 3 version, with a few modifications done by Lauren Faust. In G1, he was portrayed as a baby dragon with green spikes, and his body was pink. In his G3 incarnation, he was a 1,000-year old dragon with orange spikes, purple hair, and a blue body. He is the only main character who was taken from G1 other than Applejack.

Dog Spike, as he is in the human world, is not human because, as stated by Meghan McCarthy, "1) It would be weird for Twilight to hide a small boy in her backpack. 2) Dragon through portal doesn’t = same as pony."[7]

Sensitivity

In Owl's Well That Ends Well, he feels insecure and jealous when Twilight finds another assistant, Owlowiscious. When Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash tell Twilight about Spike's insecurity, she says, "Spike knows he can't be replaced." In Lesson Zero, Spike gets worried as Twilight becomes increasingly nervous about the due date for her friendship report. In the The Crystal Empire - Part 2, Spike and Twilight find a door enchanted by King Sombra that shows their greatest fears. Spike has a vision in which Twilight sends him away forever, scaring him.

Self-image

"Looking good, Spike! Looking real good!"

Spike is often defensive about his masculinity and dismissive of things he considers "girly," although his outward disdain is often a front. In The Ticket Master, for instance, Spike scoffs at the idea of attending the "girly gala gunk" throughout the episode, but he's overjoyed when Princess Celestia sends him a ticket at the end. He quickly reverts back to not liking it when he sees Applejack looking at him, but both laugh about it afterwards.

In Party of One, when Pinkie tells him to confess, he admits to admiring his own reflection in a mirror when nobody else is around. In Read It and Weep, Twilight says to Rainbow Dash, "Just because you're athletic doesn't mean you aren't smart!" Spike adds, "Yeah, just look at me," curls his arm, and kisses his bicep, only to get weird looks from the mares.

Generosity and greed

Spike magically matures through his greediness in Secret of My Excess. On his birthday, Spike goes around Ponyville and requests gifts from passersby. He lets his greed get the better of him, causing him to grow into a gangly "teenager" by the next day. Zecora explains that his greed is making him grow into a monster. As he continues to grow, he develops more lizard-like qualities, such as slit pupils and a long thin-forked tongue, and his voice deepens, eventually degenerating into simple roars.

As a massive dragon, Spike kidnaps Rarity and wreaks havoc on Ponyville. He only returns to normal when he sees Rarity wearing the fire ruby he gave her earlier in the episode, and remembers when he gave it to her. At the end of the episode, Spike concludes that he'd rather be generous, because hoarding doesn't compare to giving.

However, Spike still loves collecting and eating gems. In Just For Sidekicks, Spike agrees to take care of the ponies' pets in exchange for gems so he can bake a jewel cake. However, Spike gradually loses his gem supply throughout the day as he struggles to keep the pets in control, learning a valuable lesson in responsibility.

Hatching

Spike as a newborn.

As a filly in a flashback from The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Twilight is faced with an entrance exam for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The test is to hatch a dragon egg with magic. She struggles to produce traces of magic from her horn; however, the shock wave from Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom triggers an uncontrolled release of Twilight's latent power, not only hatching Spike but also enlarging him into the size of an adult dragon, and causing mayhem in the exam room. Princess Celestia herself intervenes and brings Twilight's magic under control. From then on, Spike becomes Twilight's friend and assistant.

Assistant to Twilight Sparkle

Spike writing a letter to Princess Celestia.

Spike, serving as Twilight's assistant, moves with her to Ponyville in Friendship is Magic, part 1 when Celestia orders Twilight to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. Throughout the series he sends correspondence between Twilight and the Princess using his magical fire breath, helps organize and fetch books, reads and writes letters, keeps Twilight's checklists, and helps her practice magic. He is usually shown writing right-handed, although in Lesson Zero he is shown writing with his left hand. In one instance, he is "away in Canterlot on royal business", in Look Before You Sleep.

Spike finds Twilight her old copy of Predictions and Prophecies, re-shelves Twilight's pile of books, and checks off items in her Summer Sun Celebration checklist in Friendship is Magic, part 1. In Griffon the Brush Off, Spike gets scrolls from the Ponyville town hall. He helps Twilight practice magic in the beginning of Boast Busters and also in Feeling Pinkie Keen. Also, in the aforementioned episodes, Spike takes notes for Twilight and carries the books from the library. In Bridle Gossip, Spike offers the book Super Naturals and stays at the library to look for a cure to the ponies' affliction while they go to Zecora's house in the woods. In Owl's Well That Ends Well, he prepares a picnic entirely by himself, and later accidentally burns a book he was supposed to put back in place. The next morning, he oversleeps and tries to make up to Twilight for the "morning chores" he didn't do. He tidies up the library in The Return of Harmony Part 2. He fills so many checklists in Lesson Zero that he gets a claw-cramp, and carries a broom at the library in Read It and Weep.

Sleepiness

In Friendship is Magic, part 1, Twilight says that Spike is a baby and needs to get his sleep (despite Spike stating the contrary) as an excuse to send Fluttershy away. In Friendship is Magic, part 2, she tucks him in his bed when she and her new friends set out to find the Elements of Harmony. He's sleepy at the beginning of Winter Wrap Up too, owing to the very early hour at which Twilight wakes up. His sleepiness concerns Twilight in Owl's Well That Ends Well, and she finds a second assistant, Owlowiscious, to relieve him of some of the workload at night.

In Magical Mystery Cure, Spike is woken up by Twilight during her Morning in Ponyville song, and instantly flops back down into his basket. He later complains about not being allowed to sleep in, as he enjoys sleeping while it's raining out.

Identity as a dragon

Spike doesn't "act like other dragons" and acts more like a pony. In Dragon Quest, Spike questions his identity and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Due to his lack of knowledge of his origins, as well as the ponies' lack of knowledge in dragons in general, Spike decides to follow the dragon migration. He meets a group of teenagers who initially mock him for his small size and the fact that he socializes with ponies. However, after belly-flopping hard into the lava pool, Spike is accepted to the group. Spike believes that being rough, strong, physical, and dominating is what it means to be a dragon. When he follows the other dragons on a raid for phoenix eggs, the other dragons encourage him to break one of the eggs they find. Spike is unwilling to break it and defies the group. As a result, the other dragons turn against him. Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, who have been following him the whole time, come out of hiding and stick up for him. At that point, Spike finally realizes what's important is not what he is, but who he is, and that is being Spike, a baby dragon who is family with a group of ponies.

In Spike at Your Service, Spike follows a "dragon code" that sees him honoring a life debt to and serving Applejack when she saves him from a group of ravenous timberwolves. Spike is so dedicated to this code that he is willing to stop being Twilight's assistant in order to adhere to it, until Applejack returns the favor to make them even.

Crush on Rarity

Spike's Rarity t-shirt.

Spike develops a crush on Rarity the moment he sees her in Friendship is Magic, part 1. He goes to great lengths for her affection. In Boast Busters, he tries to impress her with a mustache conjured through Twilight's magic. Spike is protective toward Rarity in A Dog and Pony Show. Though he is all but defeated by the Diamond Dogs, he still tries to find ways to rescue Rarity, like using the gem she gave him earlier as bait. In Owl's Well That Ends Well, Rarity calls Spike "simply amazing" and gives him a bow tie laden with jewels.

Spike treats his crush on Rarity as a secret in Green Isn't Your Color, though his feelings are so obvious to other ponies that he is shown wearing a shirt with Rarity surrounded by a heart as a visual gag. Pinkie Pie, who is privy to the "secret" as much as the other ponies, still acts very surprised when Spike reveals his secret to her.

Oh, my little Spikey-Wikey! *smooches*

Despite all of this, Spike and Rarity's relationship develops to become stronger in later episodes. In Secret of My Excess, Spike generously gives Rarity a fire ruby that she covets. In gratitude, she kisses him on the cheek and calls him "Spikey-wikey." During Spike's birthday party, they affectionately rub their cheeks together. Later in the episode, when Spike returns to normal after growing into a monstrous dragon and he and Rarity plummet to the ground, Spike very nearly confesses his feelings for her, but Rarity stops him mid-sentence and gives a teary smile at him, and Spike smiles back. After they are rescued by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, Rarity calls Spike her hero and kisses him on the cheek again.

Rarity shows a more caring and sensitive feeling for Spike in Dragon Quest and still calls him "Spikey-wikey." She stands up for him when Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash pick on him and when Spike decides to join the dragon migration, Rarity tries to change his mind, telling him that she doesn't want him to get hurt by the other dragons. Later, she even threatens to hurt the older dragons if they harm Spike.

In Simple Ways, Spike helps Rarity in her attempts to win the heart of Trenderhoof, despite his own feelings for her.

In Inspiration Manifestation, Spike assists Rarity as she designs a puppet theater for the Foal and Filly Fair. She thanks Spike for his help, defining him one of her dearest and most supportive friends calling him her "favorite dragon". When Rarity's theater is met with harsh reception and she falls into a depression, Spike helps by finding a spell from a hidden spell book to bring Rarity's ideas to life. However, Rarity is corrupted by the spell, and Spike worries that telling her to stop will cost him her friendship. Spike soon tells Rarity the truth about her actions, breaking the spell, and Rarity tells Spike he should never be afraid of telling her the truth, and the two share a friendly hug.

In some situations, Spike is even submissive in his devotion to Rarity. In Green Isn't Your Color, he gladly offers his body as a pincushion for Rarity to use while she designs a dress. In Party of One, he takes out Rarity's garbage and addresses her as "most beautiful one". He looks at her lovingly even after she says he smells "like a rotten apple core that's been wrapped in moldy hay and dipped in dragon perspiration." In Rarity Takes Manehattan, Spike carries Rarity's bags to the train station and through the streets of Manehattan.

Heroism

Though Spike is young and often stated to only be a baby dragon, he occasionally has moments of great heroism and bravery. In A Dog and Pony Show, he is persistent in his attempt to rescue Rarity from the Diamond Dogs. He imagines himself as a suave knight who easily defeats the dogs to save his "Lady Rarity."

In Spike at Your Service, Spike saves Applejack's life from a giant timberwolf. In Power Ponies, he overcomes the powerless role of Hum Drum and saves his friends from the evil Mane-iac. In Equestria Games, he saves thousands of Crystal Ponies' lives from a giant mass of ice by melting it with his fire breath.

Skills

Magic fire breath

Spike sending a letter to Princess Celestia.

Spike has the ability to transport scrolls back and forth between Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia, by means of magical fire breath. He sends notes by breathing magic green fire onto them, then blowing their ashes into the air. The ashes re-materialize themselves into notes after they arrive at Celestia's location. Spike can likewise belch out a jet of green flame which then materializes into a letter. This ability is able to teleport multiple papers, as showcased on some occasions. Spike sends multiple notes all at once in Griffon the Brush Off, and transports six tickets to the Gala in The Ticket Master. He does have his limits, though: Twilight finds him curled up on the floor, groaning and clutching his stomach, after Princess Celestia sends him too many scrolls in The Return of Harmony Part 2. In Feeling Pinkie Keen, Celestia comes to collect one of the scrolls herself, right as Spike is about to send it from the library's terrace.

In Equestria Games, Spike is in charge of lighting the torch for the opening ceremony of the Equestria Games. But when he see the thousands of ponies from the crowd watching him, his nerves gets the best of him and his fire breath seems to not work anymore. Later in the episode, an ice archer accidentally hits a cloud in the sky, making it turn into a large mass of ice that falls toward the stadium. When the Pegasi are unable to divert it away from the crowd, and the security guards have no time to undo their magic-disabling spell on the unicorns, Spike springs into action, jumping up on the backs of Shining Armor and several Pegasi, and shoots the ice from below with a tremendous blast of fire, melting it into water and steam. Unlike in other appearances, his fire breath during this action is orange-yellow instead of its typical green.

Lauren Faust elaborated on her take of Spike's magic fire breath, which is covered in a section below.

Digging for gems

The gems Rarity had Spike uncover.

During the episode A Dog and Pony Show, Spike digs up gems for Rarity. He uses several different techniques, including scrabbling at the ground with his claws, using the splay of his tail as a shovel, and bouncing on his tail like a jackhammer. The effort doesn't seem to tire him in the least.

Commentating and announcing

Spike as the Narrator in Hearth's Warming Eve.

Over the course of the series, Spike has shown talent and enthusiasm for announcing at events. His first taste is in Fall Weather Friends where he commentates on the Iron Pony Competition, and he is quite disheartened when Pinkie Pie is set as the announcer for the Running of the Leaves. Fortunately she asks him to be her co-announcer, much to his delight. He continues this role in Suited For Success, where he emcees Rarity's fashion show. In Hearth's Warming Eve, he narrates the Canterlot Hearth's Warming Eve pageant.

Spike sings the Cloudsdale Anthem at the Equestria Games wrong because he thought he was going to sing the Ponyville Anthem which he knows the words to. He attempts to sing the anthem after he fails to light the opening ceremony torch to the games when he learns it was lit with the help of Twilight.

Dietary habits

Spike's promised gems.

Spike's love of eating gems is shown in several episodes. In Over a Barrel, Little Strongheart offers Spike a bowl of turquoises at dinnertime. In A Dog and Pony Show, Spike is tempted to eat the gems that Rarity asks him to dig up. In Party of One, Pinkie bribes him with a plate of gems. In Secret of My Excess, Spike prefers a sapphire cupcake over his birthday cake. In Just for Sidekicks, he wants to bake his gems into a cake, but every time he tries, he ends up eating them. Spike's preferred gem color is revealed in Equestria Games, when he tells the Crystal pony feeding him that he likes the green ones.

In The Ticket Master, he tries to order gems at a café, but settles for "hay fries." In The Best Night Ever, he binges on doughnuts while waiting for his friends. In Applebuck Season, he snacks on putrid worm-filled muffins without getting sick, even though ponies get food poisoning from them. However, in It's About Time, Spike gets a stomach ache when he eats too much ice cream.

Cooking

Spike has been shown and mentioned to be a good cook. In Owl's Well That Ends Well, Twilight mentions Spike baked the cookies all the ponies liked. Spike bakes the food for Princess Celestia's party in A Bird in the Hoof, mentions in Over a Barrel that he fire-roasted the ponies' snacks earlier that day, and in Dragon Quest makes and serves the tea and baked goods everypony eats while watching the dragon migration. However, in Spike at Your Service, he burns an apple pie while baking. In Just for Sidekicks, Spike attempts to collect gems for a cake he is making, but he ends up eating all the jewels before they can go in the batter.

In Twilight Sparkle's Hot Minute, Twilight mentions that Spike makes great nachos. In Twilight Time, Spike comes out with a plate of nachos, but Twilight suggests making more for all of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' classmates. By the time all of the classmates are gone, Spike comes back with a huge pile of nachos. He then expresses frustration over the fact that his work was for nothing. At the end of the episode, all the nachos are shown in the garbage can outside the library.

Peewee

Peewee just hatched, in Dragon Quest.

Peewee was Spike's pet in Dragon Quest. He has a light brilliant amber coat with light brilliant amaranth and light brilliant vermilion head feathers, with very light apple green eyes. Spike and a group of teenage dragons, led by Garble, came upon a phoenix nest that the dragons destroy. They chase away two adult phoenixes and five of their hatchlings, but one egg remains. Spike finds the egg and refuses to smash it despite the other dragons' demands. At that point Spike's pony friends reach the scene and Twilight teleports them back to Ponyville. Spike keeps the unhatched egg, and at the end of the episode it hatches, and Spike welcomes "Peewee" to the family. In the beginning of Just for Sidekicks, there is a small picture gallery of Spike looking after him. One picture depicts Spike sharing some ice cream with Peewee, and another depicts the carton ending up on top of Twilight's head, covering her in ice cream. The final picture shows Spike returning Peewee to his parents.

Depiction in films

Equestria Girls

Spike tries on a mustache.

In My Little Pony Equestria Girls, Spike follows Twilight through the portal to the alternate world. He turns into a dog. He gives Twilight advice as they navigate Canterlot High School, and finds a place for them to sleep in the library. As a dog, he enjoys belly rubs and being scratched behind the ears. Spike also crushes on the human Rarity the same way as her pony counterpart. When Twilight Sparkle is about to inform her alternate world friends about her real identity, Pinkie Pie interrupts her stating a very accurate hunch, but when Rainbow Dash highly doubts that it is likely the case, Spike speaks out loud affirming Pinkie Pie's assumptions, shocking the girls.

Sunset Shimmer sends Snips and Snails to take Spike hostage. When Sunset Shimmer is defeated, Spike cheers out loud, and a student says, "Did that dog just talk? Whoa. Weird," to which Spike comments, "Seriously? The talking dog is a weird thing about all this?" Rarity says she thinks Spike is adorable.

When Twilight receives a letter from Sunset Shimmer about the lack of harmony at CHS being caused by the Dazzlings, Spike once again follows Twilight through a modified Crystal Mirror to return to the human universe, once again becoming a puppy. He tells Twilight's CHS friends that Twilight now has a castle and has been crowned "Princess of Friendship". At one point during a slumber party, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Sunset take a selfie, which Spike photobombs, much to Rarity's irritation. During the Bad Counter Spell, Spike attempts to make Twilight and her friends feel better about their poor performance, saying it's better than the last five times they played, until Big McIntosh walks by and disagrees with him. After Trixie and the Illusions set a trap for the Rainbooms by persuasion from The Dazzlings, Spike is the only one to not fall into the trap, and he runs off to find help. During the Mane Event's final round, Spike returns to rescue the Rainbooms with the help of DJ Pon-3, since she was immune to the sirens' song since she never takes off her headphones. During the end credits, Spike is seen as a dragon eating dog biscuits in a Katrina Hadley drawing.

After the credits roll, the human world's version of puppy Spike is seen alongside the human world's Twilight eating some dog food from a bowl. Unlike Spike the Dragon, puppy Spike only barks.

Depiction in promotional media

In a promotional short released on YouTube before the start of season four, Rarity states that she is not a fan of wings. Spike, unexpectedly present, asks her what she thinks of his wings, which she assures him are lovely. Curiously, the short uses the standard Spike model, which does not have wings.

On April 1, 2014 (April Fools' Day), the Hub Network released a promo on their official YouTube channel for a fictional My Little Pony spin-off called "My Little Pony: Dragonfire".[1] In the promo, Spike is depicted as human with small dragon-like fangs and being a "Quarter Tech, Mark: 'Dragonfire', Division M-6" soldier.

Other depictions

Lauren Faust

Lauren Faust, the show's developer, had suggested that after the entrance exam, it was Princess Celestia who raised and trained Spike before he ended up as Twilight Sparkle's assistant later in life, where Princess Celestia believed they did belong together since it was Twilight Sparkle who hatched him. Faust further suggests that the egg-hatching test was arranged for Twilight Sparkle by Princess Celestia because she sensed her connection to the Elements of Harmony,[8][9] but adds that the show's current crew may treat the story differently. In Dragon Quest, a line by Twilight Sparkle suggests that she has raised him ever since he was hatched.

Teacher for a Day description

Spike is a baby dragon with a big job - he is Twilight Sparkle's Number One Assistant! The two have been friends forever since Twilight Sparkle's first day at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot.

When Princess Celestia sent Twilight to Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship, Spike was right by her side. And when the Princess has a message for Twilight, she sends a letter to Spike.

When Spike belches, he isn't being impolite - he is receiving Princess Celestia's letter! When the ponies want to tell the Princess about their adventures, Spike writes letters and sends them off to Canterlot in a puff of dragon fire.

Hasbro.com description

Assistant number one is Spike the dragon! He's fierce, and ferocious, and hungry for gems! Brave and true, you can count on him to stand up to anything, no matter how big. In his dreams he's a gallant dragon in shining armor, but in his heart, he's a devoted friend and confident. As a loyal companion to Twilight, Spike knows that helping others is what true heroes do. Though Rarity is the gem of his eye, you can always depend on Spike to lend a helping hand.

HubNetwork.com description

Twilight Sparkle adopted Spike the dragon when he was just an orphaned egg. He's been her faithful sidekick ever since. When he's not helping with her studies, Spike might be found eating gems. He doesn't know much about dragon culture, but he has an unexplainable ability to send and receive messages between his friends and Princess Celestia ... when he burps!

The Elements of Harmony guidebook

Under orders from Princess Celestia, SPIKE THE DRAGON joined Twilight Sparkle in relocating from Canterlot to Ponyville. Twilight endearingly calls Spike her "number one assistant" for his extreme loyalty and ability to recognize when Twilight needs help. He has an incurable crush on Rarity, an insatiable appetite for sparkly gems, and the uniquely comical ability to messenger letters via his fiery dragon breath. Spike was found orphaned as an egg, and his origins remain a mystery.

In the chapter bookRarity and the Curious Case of Charity, Spike develops a crush on Rarity's apprentice Charity Sweetmint and eagerly does various things for her throughout the book. When Spike displays infatuation toward Charity Sweetmint and Charity likewise dotes on him, Rarity shows signs of jealousy, especially when Charity addresses him as "Spikey-Wikey".

Merchandise

A Spike figure is included in Twilight Sparkle's Twinkling Balloon set, the Canterlot Palace Friends set, the Royal Ball at Canterlot set, and the molded 5-Pack Gift Set. The Royal Ball set also gives him a bow tie.

A Spike the Puppy toy is included with a pajama party-themed My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks doll of Twilight Sparkle.[10]

"This is hilarious! Look at all of you! We got: Hairity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Apple Teeny, Flutterguy, and... uh... I got nothin'.... Twilight Sparkle. I mean seriously, I can't even work with that...!"

"Today I learned how important it is to be honest with your friends when they're doing something that you don't think is right. A true friend knows that you're speaking up because you care about them."

"Whenever I'm afraid I'll forget something and I start to panic. I have a simple trick. I count to ten, and by the time I'm done, I've calmed myself enought to get the job right every time. Easy peasy, cider squeezy."

"You know, it's kinda weird. No matter how many times others tell you you're great. All the praise in the world means nothing if you don't feel it inside. Sometimes, to feel good about yourself, you gotta let go of the past. That way, when the time comes to let your greatness fly, you'll be able to light up the whole sky."

"For generations we've wandered the stars, searching for a place where we can all live in harmony. None of us knows when that day will come. But we do know this: as long as there is discord in the universe, we will fight. I serve onboard the Celestia, and tonight we ride. Quarter Tech, Mark: 'Dragonfire', Division M-6. You can call me Spike."